Millenium Edition - Rembrant Van Rijn Flashcards
Bust of a Man Wearing a High Cap; Three-Quarters Right
Art historians believe that this etching depicts Rembrandt’s father, although no conclusive evidence exists that supports this belief. Rembrandt’s father Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn was a miller and owned a half-interest in a windmill called “De Rijn.” In this delicate and facile portrait, Rembrandt depicts a man with a resolute jaw, earnest eyes, and a focused and intent expression, all qualities one could easily associate with the wisdom and fortitude of one’s father. The exotic, oriental and ornate dress of the sitter in turban and coat, may suggest Rembrandt’s desire to portray his father as a man of importance. His father died the same year this etching was completed.
The Golf Player
The 17th Century game “Kolf,” which lent its name to the modern game of golf was extremely popular in Rembrandt’s lifetime. Rembrandt’s use of chiaroscuro in this etching with the strong contrast of interior and exterior reveals his ability to selectively use areas of light and shade to focus the viewer to the interior sitter. This amusing and delightful genre scene of 17th Century Amsterdam was created the same year that Rembrandt’s mistress, Hendrickje Stoffels gave birth to their daughter, Cornelia.
The Artist’s Mother with her Hand on her Chest: Small Bust
In this poignant portrait, Rembrandt captures his mother’s careworn face and tender expression as she is found in contemplation, her eyes cast downward. The position of her hand upon her chest suggests the importance of her thoughts and closeness to her heart. The darkly etched dress and veil heighten the drama of the image, and the curve of the veil around and over her face creates an angelic effect, reinforced by the light behind.
In 1589, Rembrandt’s mother, Neeltgen Willemsdochter van ZuytBrouck, married Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn in Leiden, Holland. Rembrandt was the next to the youngest of their nine children, two of whom died in infancy. Rembrandt created six etchings of his mother and several paintings of her as well. This work is an excellent example of the revolutionary notion known as Rembrandt’s “psychological portraiture,” where the sitter’s humanity and spiritual essence are more deeply expressed than their mere physical likeness.
The Card Player
This etching reveals Rembrandt’s mastery of depicting the character of his sitter, as the small, shifting eyes of the subject (thought to be a pupil of Rembrandt’s) express his distrust of his opponents in the card game.
“The Card Player” also represents a major step in Rembrandt’s experimentation in the etching medium as he employs dry-point and burnishes to create the rich tonal effects found in the work. The extensive cross-hatching in the deep shadows behind the subject highlight the features of the sitter and enforce Rembrandt’s desire to focus the viewer on his features.
The young man depicted is also the subject of Rembrandt’s etching “Man at a Desk Wearing Cross and Chain (B. 261).”
Landscape with a Cow Drinking
It is believed that in this peaceful pastoral image, Rembrandt combined the landscape in the foreground from the surrounding countryside of Amsterdam with a series of mountains in the distance taken from a location hundreds of miles form Amsterdam. To achieve the atmospheric quality found in “Landscape with a Cow Drinking” Rembrandt employed very delicate line work created with a fine etching needle.
Around the time of the creation of this etching plate (ca. 1650), Rembrandt’s financial status began deteriorate and grow desperate, and he was unable to make his mortgage and tax payments any longer. Scholars often suggest that this etching and other landscapes of the period may reflect his desire to be transported to peaceful and idyllic places far away from the troubles in his life.
Christ and the Woman of Samaria among Ruins
In this dramatic Biblical scene created with strong shadows and contrast, Rembrandt depicts the moment that Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah to the Woman of Samaria. According to the Gospel of John, Christ and his Apostles stopped in Samaria on their way from Judea to Galilee and rested by Jacob’s well near the town of Sychar. While Jesus was resting alone, a Samarian woman came to the well to fetch water and Jesus asked the woman to give Him a drink. Jesus revealed that He was the Messiah, and told the woman that “whosoever drinketh of the water I shall give them shall never thirst and have everlasting life.” This story is also the subject of another etching by Rembrandt, a drawing and three paintings.
Rembrandt’s Biblical subjects comprise a substantial portion of his etching oeuvre. They have traditionally been some of the most desirable among collectors for centuries and were innovative for their time in the manner in which they reveal Christ’s interaction with the people of His time.
Self Portrait Drawing at a Window
In 1629, Rembrandt began to paint and etch his first self-portraits and routinely sign his name, “Rembrandt.” Throughout his career he would produce many subsequent self-portraits in both mediums. Scholars differ as to Rembrandt’s motivation for creating self-portraits. The earliest notion that he could not afford to pay for models has given way to the more cogent idea that in his pursuit of the “psychological portrait,” that is the desire to reveal the human and spiritual nature of the sitter, beyond just the physical likeness, he used his own face to most deeply contemplate this revolutionary approach for the time. In this extraordinary image, Rembrandt depicts himself drawing at a window, as the light from the window seeps into the space and creates a symbolic dramatic contrast. Rembrandt’s face is illuminated, but the interior of the room is cast in darkness. He created this work in 1648 at the age of forty-two, after a troubled six-year period during which he etched no self-portraits. During that time, Rembrandt’s wife Saskia died, his financial situation worsened, and his relationship with Geertge Dircx, the nursemaid of his young son, Titus became troubled and later culminated in a court battle. The work clearly depicts a man at maturity, contemplating his life, and suggests a wise, if not beleaguered, and experienced man who has tasted life’s joys and sorrows. This was the last self-portrait etched by Rembrandt.
The Raising of Lazarus: The Larger Plate
In this, one of Rembrandt’s most astonishing and powerful works, he captures the dramatic scene as Jesus commands Lazarus to “come forth” from the dead. The figure of Jesus, seen from a three- quarter back view, is against the dark tomb wall. As Lazarus rises from the dead, Mary and Martha lean in over the edge of the tomb, their upraised hands signifying their faith and readiness to embrace their beloved brother. The faces of the onlookers express open-mouthed amazement at Jesus’ miracle. Rembrandt uses powerful contrasts in this work to evoke a heightened drama by distinct use of light and shadow. Lazarus and the faces of the onlookers are bathed in the light of Christ, while the surrounding darkness symbolizes the blackness of death.
Rembrandt experimented greatly and labored over this work intensely, creating no fewer than ten states or variations in the evolution of the plate, to reach his finished image. It is a perfect example of the Baroque use of chiaroscuro, the strong contrast of light and shadow, to evoke a theatrical and highly emotional image. It was extremely well received by his contemporary collectors, and remains one of the most sought-after etchings of Rembrandt’s oeuvre, to this day.
